Flowers
by LondonMarie
Summary: On a planet brimming with flowers Amy learns something new about the Doctor


Amy notices the Doctor's very fond of plants. Especially flowers. He took her, Rory and River to a Garden Planet, filled with flowers from all over the Universe. The rulers of the planet allowed visitors to pick a few flowers to take with them as souvenirs. As they traversed through the never ending garden Amy sees the Doctor filled with joy. There's a look in his eyes though. One she can't quite define, but recognizes, it's a look of remembrance veiled with sadness. While she, Rory and River are plucking flowers, the Doctor doesn't take a single one. Given how many visitors are there with them and how many are plucked, Amy is surprised that the planet isn't barren. But the Doctor informs her there is a limit and plucking season only lasts for so long.

They head into the Rose Garden and once again she's stunned by the beauty. There are every species of Roses on earth in the Garden. A sound of flesh smacking flesh interrupts the beauty. Amy turns around to see the Doctor glaring at River and she's glaring back.

"Not a single one of you is to bring a Rose onboard." He says and she can hear the capitalization of Rose which she finds odd. They continue walking, the mood shifted to tense. Amy thinks they'll never pass through the Rose section, when the Doctor stops. A short man who looks very much like a librarian is waiting on a bench.

"Doctor, back again I see. This time with a new set of friends." The man says kindly.

"What do you have for me?" Amy notices the tube that's out of place

"One of a kind. Specifically for you. I call it Rose." The man pulls the tube off with a flourish, and all Amy thinks is _that's it?_ It's a white rose. "Touch it." He says to the Doctor. And to her surprise he does. The white bursts into a yellow. A deep pure yellow. It fades into a pink the makes Amy blush. She notices a hint of blush in Rory's, River's and the man's cheeks. But the Doctor's cheeks remain untouched by any embarrassment. The pink morphs into a true red. The red Amy associates with love, the kind of red that colors the Doctor's bedroom door. Her breath catches in her throat and her heart pounds. Then the four colors, the white, yellow, pink and red is joined by a blue that's the same shade of the TARDIS, and the colors swirl, until she's dazed. Each color returns, but the pattern isn't discernible.

Amy doesn't know how long the Doctor watches the rose. But it seems like hours before the man speaks again. "It'll last forever. I made half a million of these before it was perfect."

"Thank you." The Doctor's voice is rich with emotion. The Doctor takes the Rose and caresses its petals. "It's perfect. See you next time." They shake hands and the Doctor leads them back to the TARDIS. Before they take off, he strokes the console. "I have something for you old girl." He pauses. "Well I suppose it's for me too." A piece of glass slides down, and the Doctor places the Rose inside. The TARDIS hums with contentment as the glass slides close. They drop River back off in prison. Amy's still confused as to why she's still in there. The Doctor is alive and everyone knows it. She asked the Doctor once but he changed the subject.

Later that night Amy sneaks out of her and Rory's bedroom. The TARDIS is in night mode. The halls are darkened as she makes her way to the console room. The Doctor's in there sitting in a chair staring at the Rose. The console room lights begin to dim. "I want a light." Amy's confused, but the TARDIS isn't. A warm golden light surrounds the Rose. "She'll never be in darkness again." He whispers. That's when it hits Amy. The Rose is a symbol of a woman named Rose. A woman who the Doctor loved, loves is in love with. And the colors of the flower are ones that remind him of her. A woman who stole the Doctor's hearts. Her mouth feels chalky as she pieces together that the Doctor does love her daughter to some degree she's seen it in the way he looks at her. But he's staring at the Rose and she can tell he's not seeing the flower, but the person and there's more love in his eyes than he ever had while looking at River. That realization haunts her until the day she discovers why River is actually in prison. And then…well she's just bitter.


End file.
